Fractures of the hip in the elderly: therapeutic and medico-social considerations

The factors influencing mortality and morbidity were analysed in a series of 224 elderly patients with hip fractures. It was found that mortality was influenced by the high age, the number of medical antecedents and the number of general complications occurring following surgery. Mortality rate was high in mentally deteriorated patients with a gain in autonomy in only 25% of the cases. On the contrary, mortality was less, and there were few modifications of the mental status in patients who were mentally normal upon admission. The recovery of total or partial autonomy in this group was 69.9%, justifying therefore the surgical intervention.